Help with strange forename please!

[Sloe Gin]

While I was looking on IGI for baptisms to a couple who may be connected with my Warwickshire Davis family, I found this one:

1819, Fenny Compton, to Robert and Sarah Claydon
H. Foy Claydon (female)

Has anyone come across this name before?  I'm guessing it's abbreviated, but what might it be in full .... or was it misheard and written down wrong?

[jackiepb]

could it be Sinfoy? which was quite often used as a Traveller name?

[Sloe Gin]

That's a thought.  Thanks.  I haven't seen the original entry yet, so no idea how clear the writing is.  It's an odd one, isn't it?

[rebekahm28]

Ive come across Foy, in fact a Foy witnessed one of my ancestors marriages. Its a gypsy name, definately.   AHA, just realised you said forename!!  Mine was a surname.....could one of the parents had someone in the family with Foy as a surname, and thus gave it their daughter as a name?

[Sloe Gin]

It's certainly a possibility, although it doesn't feature at any of the baptisms of siblings that I've found.  But how strange to give an initial rather than a first name - it may just be a garbled transcription.  I must try and get a look at the original some time.

[Sloe Gin]

The original is now available on Ancestry, but I'm not much the wiser!  Could it be St Foy, which might be the vicar's idea of Sinfoy?  It's the top entry here - I've left a few more in for comparison.

[PrueM]

I would say it's "St Foy"

It could be that the vicar, having not heard the name "Sinfoy" before, wrote it as he would write the name that is pronounced "Sinjun", but which is actually "St John".  That's my guess, anyway.

Cheers
Prue

[Sloe Gin]

I think that's probably it. 

If anyone comes across a Sinfoy Claydon or Clayton married or buried, please do give me a shout!   

[jackiepb]

several Traveller Claydons are listed on northants-familytree website, including a Robert baptism - maybe Sinfoys father?
http://www.northants-familytree.net/travellers.htm